“Not Everyone Can Be a Hamilton or Verstappen”: Ex-F1 Champion Makes Compelling Sergio Perez Observation

Sergio Perez is having an excellent season despite the rough start at Bahrain. He has even impressed a former world champion after his P4 qualifying at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

The former Racing Point driver joined the Milton Keynes base last season. His move raised many doubts, but the 1996 world champion Damon Hill had faith in the 32-year-old. Checo stood up to his expectations and has been a great addition to Red Bull. Who can forget about Perez’s contribution at the 2021 Abu Dhabi race which allowed Max Verstappen to win?

This season, Checo again contributed a lot to the Austrian constructors. He has scored two podiums in the last four races and has had three top 4 finishes. Further, he has consistently qualified in the top 4 in the past four races and continued this feat in Miami. Further, Damon Hill again praised Checo for his performance so far in 2022. He believed the Mexican might not be as good as Lewis Hamilton or Verstappen, but he’s still one of the best.

READ MORE: Sergio Perez All Set to Bring Down High-Flying Red Bull Teammate Max Verstappen at Miami GP

After the Miami GP qualifying, Hill tweeted, “When they signed @SChecoPerez for @redbullracing I had high expectations. He has hardly put a foot wrong. Top 4 every race this season. Not to mention his 2021 contribution. A true professional. Not everyone can be a Hamilton or Verstappen. Being a top F1 driver is also this #f1.”

Sergio Perez doesn’t like the Miami GP track surface

The Miami GP is one of the latest additions to the F1 calendar. Being different from every other street circuit in the world, the 3.6 miles long circuit was constructed around the Miami Hard Rock Stadium. However, the new track failed to impress the F1 drivers, including Sergio Perez.

Drivers will have a rough time driving on the Miami Internation Autodrome as they reported the circuit doesn’t have any grip. It is hard for the drivers to go off the line to perform a pass. Expressing his views on the track surface of the Miami circuit, he even predicted others to make errors during the main race.

“I think most importantly the surface is a joke.” Checo said, “On Sunday the racing is going be difficult. And you’re going to have the drivers making mistakes because we’ve been put into this situation.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Spectacular F1 Helmet Designs at 2022 Miami GP Ft Daniel Ricciardo & Lando Norris

Even Fernando Alonso agreed with Checo about the poor surface of the Miami track and said that it was “not F1 standards”. It would be fascinating to see how Checo himself will try and move up places in the race. What do you expect from the inaugural Miami GP?